The Villanova Wildcats progressed to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament East Region after dismantling the Alabama Crimson Tide 81-58 on Saturday, March 17. The Wildcats comfortably covered the spread at -11, while the game went way under the total of 148 points.
The Wildcats made it to the next round where they will take on the winner of the matchup between West Virginia and Marshall, and it’s clear that whoever manages to come out of that clash victorious will be a huge underdog against Villanova.
The odds for the duel between Villanova and West VirginiaorMarshall will be released by BetDSI Sportsbook in a few hours, and given that the Wildcats are the top-seeded team in the NCAA Tournament this season, we see them as a sure participant of the Elite 8 on March 25.
Game Recap
The Wildcats entered the tilt rather slowly and were up by just five points at intermission, but they exploded in the second half with 49 points, so Alabama couldn’t avoid a heavy defeat.
Jay Wright’s men shot 39.7% from the floor and hit amazing 17 triples on 41 attempts (41.5%), while their perimeter defense did a great job in limiting the Crimson Tide to miserable four made shots from downtown.
Mikal Bridges led all players with 23 points, four rebounds, and a couple of blocks; Donte DiVincenzo followed him with 18 points (5-11 3PT) and five dishes off the bench, while Jalen Brunson chipped in with 12 points, four boards, and two thefts.
Villanova’s odds to win the NCAA Tournament can be found at BetDSI and they are pegging the Bearcats as the biggest favorites at +400, which means that Jay Wright’s side is expected to at least reach the Final Four. The Wildcats’ next possible opponentsWest Virginia (+3500) or Marshall (+100000) are not among the teams considered to be serious contenders in this season’s tournament, especially Marshall who surprised with the first round victory.
